Focus? who needs focus!

[gaeger]

Focus? Who needs focus!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/technology/22camera.html

[LucisPictor]

The idea of such a light field cam is a little older already.
Now it seems they are successful.
Thanks for the link. I will read it tonight.

[-halli-]

That looks amazing!

[cooltouch]

If this pans out, it could turn photography on its head. This is truly groundbreaking stuff. If they can pack a reasonable number of features and decent performance into a consumer-oriented camera (which is the market share they're targeting), then the other guys had better watch out. What especially caught my eye was the part about no shutter or AF lag. It'll be interesting to find out what its frame rate is.

[tomasg]

That means reviewing and adjusting the focus point on each image after you finished taking pictures? Hmm...looks more something an amateur or pro photographer would do, one that shoots RAW only for example, but P&S shooters?

[cooltouch]

Especially P&S shooters. Tell me, how many times have you seen a pic that a P&S shooter has taken where the camera focused on something besides the subject and the shooter didn't even know what was going on? I have seen sooooo many images taken by P&S cams, both film and digital and the shooter is going, "I don't know what the problem is, it didn't focus right." And I look at the image and I see that the camera focused on somebody's shoe in the background or similar. Point it out to them and they just get these blank looks on their faces and you just know none of it is sinking in.

So yeah, especially P&S shooters.

[LucisPictor]

Here is another approach shown in that video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfsGb9SDcCU&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_251005

[David]

I think that the vast majority of standard camera users would love to have that. I don't know anyone else in real life who loves manual focus lenses. I only know two other people who enjoy taking good photos with DSLRs. I do know HUNDREDS of people with a Canon Elph or similar thing who love to point it at something, hit a button, and think they've taken a picture worth hanging on a wall somewhere.

While I love that the technology could make photography more accessible, I'm simultaneously worried that it could rob the art form of its talented, dedicated practitioners who labor to get a great, perfectly focused shot.

[cooltouch]

I recall, back in the early 1980s, when orchestral musicians were really worried that the new synthesizer technology called a "symphonizer" would replace orchestras and that they'd all be out of a job. Well, synthesizers continue to improve in technology, but most real musicians still recognize that there is just no substitute for having the real thing, and orchestral musicians still have their jobs some 30 years later.

So I don' t think the true artists who compose their art with photos have anything to worry about. It's more than perfect focus that goes into a perfect photo; there's composition and other factors that have a great effect as well.

[trifox]

Can I express my opinion?

my focus is mine and by camera's focus ! My choice is mine. Oh, did I miss the shot? Who cares?

It can be a nice feature to be implemented in point-and-shoot cameras - it may be good for wedding shots haha!

otherwise - to be honest -- who would swap a real MF glass for this ?

tf

[cooltouch]